Pickleball

Published: Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at 6:59 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at 6:59 a.m.

Jim Wilke of Hendersonville is happy the Senior Games event exists for residents 55 and older, and he finally signed up this year and selected several games in which to participate, but he says he was a bit disappointed when he was the only person to show up for a recent horseshoe event in Jackson Park. “I was hoping to make some connections and see how the game is played by better players,” he said. And he hoped that participation would be more robust for the remaining events, especially pickleball, a racquet sport that combines elements of badminton, tennis and table tennis. “That’s a hardy group,” he says. “In The Villages in Florida, they have 200 pickleball courts. It’s excellent exercise for active seniors. You can work up a sweat.” Not this time, however, since the May 3 games were rained out. But things are looking up. “About 10 people participated in track and field events on May 11,” reports Mr. Wilke. “The most inspirational was an 80-plus retired teacher running the 100-meter dash using his walker. I wish it had been captured on video. We also had six or seven running the 5K, about the same number playing table tennis, and 16 played the cornhole beanbag game at the Appalachian Brewery. I hope participation in the Senior Games continues to improve.”

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‘A VERY NICE TREAT’: The Mother’s Day brunch at Mountain Pie & Cake Co. has Barbara Coppola of Hendersonville eager to get back to the popular shop. “It was such a great place to go for Mother’s Day,” she says. “There was delicious food and unusually good service, and the live music was most enjoyable. I have ordered pies and cakes from there in the past, and they’re always excellent quality and very nicely decorated. I will try some of their other special occasion brunches. It was a very nice treat. We’ll see them again soon!”

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‘HOW COME?’: A baby camel went to his mama and asked, “Mama, how come I got these big ol’ eyelashes and eyelids?” Mama camel replied, “When you walk through the desert in a sandstorm, you can shut your eyes and not get sand in them.” The baby camel said, “Mama, how come I got this big ol’ hump on my back?” Mama camel said, “When you walk through the desert and get thirsty, you got a water tank connected to you.” Baby camel said, “Mama how come I got these big ol’ goofy looking padded feet?” The mama camel replied, “When you walk across the burning desert, the hot sand will not burn your feet.” Then the baby camel said to his mama, “If all of this is true, how come I live in the zoo?”

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LAST BUT NOT LEAST: The next Flat Rock Playhouse Music on the Rock series concert, A Tribute to Sting and The Police, will start Thursday in Playhouse Downtown. The concert will feature vocalist Michael Murnoch. Returning to the Flat Rock Playhouse will be Ryan Guerra. Guerra has performed in previous productions at the Playhouse, including Music on the Rock tributes to the Beatles, Beach Boys and Neil Diamond, as well as For the Glory and Celtic Christmas. Performances will take place May 23-25 and May 30-June 1. Showtime for each performance is 8 p.m. All tickets are $24 and can be purchased by either calling the Playhouse box office at 693-0731 or going online at www. flatrockplayhouse.org. Playhouse Downtown is located at 125 S. Main St. in Hendersonville.

◆ The folks at Aging Projects Inc., the nonprofit organization providing access to resources to help people remain in their homes as they age in Henderson County, invite everyone to their celebration and award ceremony from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday at The Chariot. Come on out and meet the people behind www.Aging-ProjectsInc.org. The Chariot is at 715 N. Church St. There will be a brief award ceremony at 5 p.m. Refreshments will be served. And it’s free!

<p>Jim Wilke of Hendersonville is happy the Senior Games event exists for residents 55 and older, and he finally signed up this year and selected several games in which to participate, but he says he was a bit disappointed when he was the only person to show up for a recent horseshoe event in Jackson Park. “I was hoping to make some connections and see how the game is played by better players,” he said. And he hoped that participation would be more robust for the remaining events, especially pickleball, a racquet sport that combines elements of badminton, tennis and table tennis. “That's a hardy group,” he says. “In The Villages in Florida, they have 200 pickleball courts. It's excellent exercise for active seniors. You can work up a sweat.” Not this time, however, since the May 3 games were rained out. But things are looking up. “About 10 people participated in track and field events on May 11,” reports Mr. Wilke. “The most inspirational was an 80-plus retired teacher running the 100-meter dash using his walker. I wish it had been captured on video. We also had six or seven running the 5K, about the same number playing table tennis, and 16 played the cornhole beanbag game at the Appalachian Brewery. I hope participation in the Senior Games continues to improve.” </p><p>◆ </p><p>'A VERY NICE TREAT': The Mother's Day brunch at Mountain Pie & Cake Co. has Barbara Coppola of Hendersonville eager to get back to the popular shop. “It was such a great place to go for Mother's Day,” she says. “There was delicious food and unusually good service, and the live music was most enjoyable. I have ordered pies and cakes from there in the past, and they're always excellent quality and very nicely decorated. I will try some of their other special occasion brunches. It was a very nice treat. We'll see them again soon!” </p><p>◆ </p><p>'HOW COME?': A baby camel went to his mama and asked, “Mama, how come I got these big ol' eyelashes and eyelids?” Mama camel replied, “When you walk through the desert in a sandstorm, you can shut your eyes and not get sand in them.” The baby camel said, “Mama, how come I got this big ol' hump on my back?” Mama camel said, “When you walk through the desert and get thirsty, you got a water tank connected to you.” Baby camel said, “Mama how come I got these big ol' goofy looking padded feet?” The mama camel replied, “When you walk across the burning desert, the hot sand will not burn your feet.” Then the baby camel said to his mama, “If all of this is true, how come I live in the zoo?” </p><p>◆ </p><p>LAST BUT NOT LEAST: The next Flat Rock Playhouse Music on the Rock series concert, A Tribute to Sting and The Police, will start Thursday in Playhouse Downtown. The concert will feature vocalist Michael Murnoch. Returning to the Flat Rock Playhouse will be Ryan Guerra. Guerra has performed in previous productions at the Playhouse, including Music on the Rock tributes to the Beatles, Beach Boys and Neil Diamond, as well as For the Glory and Celtic Christmas. Performances will take place May 23-25 and May 30-June 1. Showtime for each performance is 8 p.m. All tickets are $24 and can be purchased by either calling the Playhouse box office at 693-0731 or going online at www. flatrockplayhouse.org. Playhouse Downtown is located at 125 S. Main St. in Hendersonville.</p><p>◆ The folks at Aging Projects Inc., the nonprofit organization providing access to resources to help people remain in their homes as they age in Henderson County, invite everyone to their celebration and award ceremony from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday at The Chariot. Come on out and meet the people behind www.Aging-ProjectsInc.org. The Chariot is at 715 N. Church St. There will be a brief award ceremony at 5 p.m. Refreshments will be served. And it's free! </p><p>Reach Lou Parris at 828-694-7836 or molehills@blueridgenow.com.</p>